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Time has come to publish the last post on this site. I've been posting links and articles for three years, and it's been great. I a...
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Vanity Fair Christopher Hitchens—the incomparable critic, masterful rhetorician, fiery wit, and fearless bon vivant—died today at the ag... -
Mr Steve Wasserman, Christopher Hitchens' literary agent, kindly replied to my query about a possible memorial. Posted with permission. ...
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By Christopher Hitchens "I am sometimes asked whether I ever get tired of debating the faithful. There are two reasons why I never do...
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CH guest on Charlie Rose, August 13, 2010. Watch the interview here . Duration 52:54 -
Christopher's statement "I have been advised by my physician that I must undergo a course of chemotherapy on my esophagus. This ad...
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By Vanity Fair In part one of the April 20th memorial service for Vanity Fair contributing editor Christopher Hitchens, Graydon Carter we... -
Stop worrying about an "exit strategy." What America needs in Libya is an entrance strategy. By Christopher Hitchens "Th... -
When Mumtaz Qadri shot Pakistani politician Salman Taseer, he didn't even bother to offer an excuse. By Christopher Hitchens ...
Thomas Jefferson
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4 comments:
Wonderfully fluent and heartfelt words from Simon Schama. Thankyou.
These news items all state that Mr Hitchens was killed by cancer. That doesn't seem accurate to me. From what I know he was killed by an infection, which his body couldn't resist because his immune system had been decimated by chemotherapy - which is to say that his cause of death was iatrogenic - the treatment killed him, not the disease.
Christopher Hitchens was killed by chemotherapy and pneumonia, or some combination of opportunistic ptathogens, not cancer.
Not that it matters, but I happen to have incurable tongue cancer, so I'm probably somewhat familiar with the treatment regimen Mr Hitchens endured before his passing, so please understand I'm not trying to belittle his struggle or dignity. Quite on the contrary, the bravery he showed in the face of his deteriorating health is of a piece with the rest of his life. It's heartening to see people like Schama affirm the value of his commitment to truth, the basic integrity he held that deserves respect also from those like myself who often disagreed with his opinions.
Becky, I understand from what others have written that Mr Hitchens' life was extended by the treatments, although, not to the extent the world had hoped. You describe your cancer as incurable but hopefully it can be healed.
Love the comparison to Hemingway. Two of the most brilliant writers to grace literature. Thank you, Hitch.
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